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Magic
Mystioknesis, or magic, often referred as The Art, is the ability to control a natural form of energy, for example: creating snow, changing the weather, turning other people into animals, etc. Thus, giving it control over everything and everyone. Magic is a very complex and dangerous force. It is neutral but can be used for good or evil, wonder or destruction, like all things, especially the enchanting. An act of magic is called a spell, and the act of performing such an act is called casting. Most supernatural beings are capable of performing magic, as are some mortals, who are referred to as practitioners. People who use magic are often called magicians, mages, wizards or Witches. As energy Magic can describe any otherworldly force or energy tied to life's essence. It is generated by living things, and may be thought of as akin to the concepts of Odic force and prana. However, the human heart and soul are also powerful sources of magical energy. There's more magic in a baby's first giggle than any fire that a wizard can call up. Emotions are a kind of channel for magic, a path to carry energy to a practitioner. Practitioners can draw on their own emotions for power. Black magic comes from negative emotions like lust, fear and anger, which are easy to harness and to make grow. Dorothy's magic was harder because it comes from a deeper, truer, and purer source—harder to tap, harder to keep but more elegant and more powerful. As practice Spells are a verb and essential for magic. They require specific hand gestures and an incantation in Elder speech. Not to mention concentration and power management. A little bit. Spells are casted in the Elder tongue (Aen Seidhe language). There are some "standard" spells, but you need a gesture, incantation, concentrated will and you can pretty much make the magic what you want. Sometimes there are elixirs and symbols involved. John Allenson describes casting a spell as a three-step process. The first step is to gather energy. The second is to shape that energy with one's thoughts and feelings for achieving one's goal. The final step is to release the energy in the intended direction. Dorothy and others compare this to using a firearm: first one must load ammunition (gather energy), aim the weapon (shape the energy with intent), and pull the trigger (release the energy). Belief In order to successfully cast a spell, a practitioner must have confidence that he will succeed in casting the spell. A practitioner who believes himself incapable of achieving some effect with magic makes himself incapable of doing so, simply by holding that belief. A practitioner must also believe that casting the spell he intends to cast is a proper thing to do. A practitioner with a deeply-held belief that violence is wrong would almost certainly fail in attempts to do violence with magic. They can't make it happen if it isn't part of them, inside. Side-effects The practice of magic by mortals results in strange side-effects. one of which is an interference with the operation of certain devices, radio, electric lights, etc. The blue fairy believes that the reason the magic of human magicians disrupts modern mechanics and technology—though the magic of other races does not—is that human beings are inherently conflicted. Magic responds to emotions and thoughts, and people's thoughts and emotions are always conflicting. This means that there is a turbulence around those with magical talent and its the turbulence, not the magic itself, that disrupts technology. That said, it has been mentioned that magic is woven into the fae in a way it is not woven to mortals, IE, magic naturally leaks out of a wizard, but it doesn't leak from a faerie. Though there are several other effects, exposure to magic causes dairy products to spoil. Practitioners A practitioner is a generic term for an individual who can use magic, with no reference to the user's power or skill. There are two types of magic users, first are the mages: people with magic in their blood, either by enchantment or by genetics. Most human beings cannot use magic at all. but some known as occultists can find ways to use magic without having magic in their blood. Mages Wizards Wizards ,or sorcerers for the more ritual based individuals, are practitioners who show the full spectrum of magical abilities known to mortals. The Yet, even the strongest wizards are insignificant with respect to supernatural heavyweights like the Faerie Queen. It is easy to confuse wizards, also known as sorcerers for occultist but wizards are in reality either semi-divine or faerie blessed people whose abilities to tap into magical energy come from their blood rather than learning. Merlin, for example, was conceived by a demon, possibly Lucifer. Witches Witches are people who’ve made deals with spirits in exchange for power. The kind of witch depends on whatever kind of spirit they made a deal with. Most of the time witches are female but male witches do exist although there are 400 female witches to every 1 male witch. A deal usually ends by leaving a mark, called a deal mark. Warlocks Warlocks are practitioners who have violated one of the laws of magic. objects Most magical practitioners use various physical objects in the casting of their spells. It isn't actually necessary to do so. Any spell can be cast as an entirely mental construct, but the more complex a spell is, the more the practitioner has to divide his or her concentration. Using objects reduces the amount of mental effort needed to cast a spell by providing a visible object which encapsulates the meaning that the practitioner assigns to it. In other words, a prop is a symbolic placeholder for a part of the spell in the practitioner's mind, plus Objects and enchanted items can increase one's magical capabilities. A long-duration spell needs to be anchored: *Objects: Magic can be anchored to specific objects. *People: There are times when magic can be anchored to a person, who must be a blood relation. =Other details= *right side is the side that takes in energy. *The left side projects energy. *The proper hand to carry a staff in is the left hand. *Magic is time-consuming with Circles, gathering energies, and aligning forces. =Tools= *Circle: The circle is one of the basic tools of magic. An empowered circle creates a barrier that magical forces and beings of the Nevernever cannot cross. A practitioner will place a circle around an area where a spell is being performed in order to prevent magical "background noise" from interfering with the spell. Because supernatural beings cannot cross them, empowered circles can be used to contain such beings, as well as to keep them out of an area. *Name: A being's Name can be used to create a thaumaturgical link to that being. When using a Name in a spell, a practitioner must pronounce it in exactly the same way in which the Name's owner does. In order for a Name to be magically useful, the correct pronunciation must ultimately have been learned from the Name's owner. *Physical Samples: When a piece of an object is removed from the main mass of that object, the piece retains a thaumaturgic link to it. A bit of hair, nail clippings, or fresh blood can be used to aim a thaumaturgic spell at the person it was taken from. The principle works with inanimate objects as well, such as bits of clay taken from the same large mass. *Mirrors: many things can use mirrors as windows and doors, such as Fetches. Harry doesn't keep any mirrors in his home. *Pentagram: A magical symbol, a five pointed star drawn as a single line, forming a pentagon in the center. *Pentacle: A pentacle is another magical symbol, essentially a pentagram enclosed within a circle. Harry Dresden says it represents the five elemental forces of Air, Earth, Water, Fire, and Spirit bound and contained by human will. *Focus: A focus is a magically prepared object used to aid a practitioner in performing a spell. *Homunculus: A homonculus is an object used as a temporary vessel for a spirit incapable of manifesting a physical form of its own. Some practitioners use fresh corpses, but this isn't required; Harry Dresden used a Cabbage Patch doll as a vessel for Ulsharavas. *Cats: are Magic-friendly, they can move back and forth across magic boundaries, like circles, without disturbing them. Cats can also see ghosts and spirits. Blood Blood has a kind of power; a magic user can use blood to track the person who spilled it. Once it dries, or is excessively diluted, it's harder, if not impossible, to use. The needed amount of blood depends on the efficiency and skill of the magic user and how much energy is required: the more energy being sent, the more blood is needed. If for a simple tracking spell, not much is needed, if for making a targets heart explode, a lot is needed. Types of magic There are two broad types of magic in The Dresden Files: thaumaturgy and evocation. Thaumaturgy operates by creating magical links between objects. It operates over greater distances and with more precision, but is more time consuming and requires a conduit to the target - usually a physical sample. Evocation is loud, flashy, instantaneous, and often destructive. It works on its target directly without the need for a link, and can be performed quickly, but has limited range, requires a line of sight to the target, and is generally more difficult to wield with precision. There are a number of terms for more specialized forms of magic. *Divination is magic which is employed to gain information, especially information about the future. *Summoning magic brings a spiritual being from the Spirit to the mortal world. *Binding magic is used to enthrall (enslave) a summoned being. *Charm is a kind of short-term magic. *Enchantment magic is used in the construction of magical instruments, such as foci. *Curse is a general term for any malevolent spell. *Alchemy is the practice of manufacturing magical potions, which create a magical effect when drunk. Forms of magic can also be named according to what the spell affects, rather than what it does. These names are typically constructed from a Greek or Latin root and the suffix -mancy, from a Greek word meaning divination, but which in English has taken on the meaning area of magic relating to. Thus "psychomancy, derived from Greek psyche (mind) plus -mancy is "area of magic relating to the mind," specifically mind-control. Basics Some spells, known as “basics” can be used by anyone Regarding the Basics, they have been mentioned as very simple and very rudimentary type of magic as they require little concentration and power compared to more "conventional" spells. Ritual magic Rituals are spells which are empowered by a being other than the practitioner casting it. Anyone who follows the steps of the ritual can induce the entity that sponsors it to create the desired effect, so the ability to produce a powerful effect via a ritual spell is not a sign of a skilled or powerful practitioner. Because the entities that sponsor rituals have finite amounts of power, the effectiveness of a ritual can be diminished by spreading knowledge of it. The more the sponsor of a ritual has to divide its power, the less effective any casting of the ritual will be. For this reason, the White Council actually publishes any dangerous rituals it finds. Curses Curses, such as malocchio, entropy curse, and the death curse are spells intended to do harm. They need some means of directing the magic at a target; body parts like hair, nail-clippings, fresh blood work best. To make a curse long-lasting, it needs to be anchored to an object or a blood relation. Really strong curses require three people to cast the spell: one to gather the energy, one to shape it, one to aim it. Divine Words Divine Words, or words of power, are Ancient Egyptian pronunciations for hieroglyphs; magicians speak them to create or tweak reality. To use them, no papyrus or other equipment, such as amulets, potions, shabti, and statues are needed. Elemental Magic there are 5 main elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth. While not being one of the main four, Light and Darkness are also other elements that can be used such. Ice is also another element. Elemental magic can be employed by speaking Divine Words and/or English, although it is much harder unless the magician is familiar with the element. When a magician has become proficient with their element, they do not need to speak to be able to use elemental magic. Storm Magic Storm Magic, also referred to as Chaos magic, is a branch of Elemental magic that specializes in summoning weather disasters. It is not good magic and magicians do not use it, unless following the path of a Chaos god, such as Set or Apophis. With storm magic, magicians are able to use extreme winds, lightning, tornadoes, cyclones, hurricanes etc. Storm magic also enables the user to summon deserts and sand-based disasters as Egypt experiences many of these. Storm magic and combat magic can also be employed simultaneously, an example being Amos Kane with the Set avatar. Other Magic Glamour A spell that deceives the weak minds of mortals and even demons, allowing gods, magicians, and demons to appear differently. Once a magician becomes aware of the spell, their glamour becomes see-through. However, on mortals, it works just fine and it is effective to move around security. It also makes it so that mortals can have an understandable explanation of events, rather than destruction created by a monster or a group of magicians. Demon Controlling Unknown spells can be used to control Demons. Many magicians have used these spells. Summoning Spell A spell that summons a shabti or a minor creature out of the Duat. However, if it is a powerful object like a part of the soul, then it only shows itself and its location. Telepathy This is the art of manipulating another's mind with one's own. Used by gods and Magicians alike, it has many applications. It can be used to overpower the will, forcing the target to perform actions against their choosing. In the case of the gods, using extreme telepathy can cause their hosts to burn up or lose their sanity completely. Sleep Spell A spell to force sleep onto another opponent. This is also handy against security and if they draw weapons on you. After this spell wears off and the targets awake, their memories are rubbed about the magician. Surveillance Magic This magic is used to see into the Duat, the magical realm underneath the mortal world. Using it, a magician can locate people even in the dark, gods, demons, godlings etc. Telekinesis This is the art of moving objects using the brain. Portal Summoning This magic is used to go from one place to the other. However, it is very difficult and therefore, is usually done with artifacts, even those that aren't from Ancient Egypt but are replicas. It can also be done with anything in the shape of a pyramid or obelisk. A portal is described a swirling vortex of sand. A portal cannot be used in the Demon Days unless using the power of a god or goddess of magic like Isis or Thoth. Duat Travel Skilled magicians can travel through the Duat and arrive at their destination in the mortal world in a short span of time. Transformation Transformation, also known as morphing, is magic used by magicians to transform their body into another using magic. This is done only for a short period of time as sustained transformations can result in the magician being unable to change back. It can also result in a magician burning up from staying too long. If following the path of a god, or hosting one, the magician usually assumes the form of the god's sacred animal. When transforming via the power of the gods, the magician can stay longer in the morphed state although it is much more difficult to change back. Forceful Transformation This is a version of Transformation that is used by magicians to transform another person's body into something else using magic. This is done by overpowering the person's will and morphing them. Typically, magicians transform the target into an animal they know since it requires less energy. When used via the power of the gods, the magician can gain enough strength to forcefully transform another god into whatever they want. Scrying A magician learns to scry as an initiate. Scrying involves a spell with a bowl of oil to see other faraway places and keep in touch with other magicians around the world. If the place is being concealed or in presence of a god or goddess or their host, the bowl will erupt in black flames which are lethal in a close distance. Sympathetic Magic Sympathetic magic is a powerful form of magic that binds a target's soul completely to an object somewhat similar to the target. Thus, if any damage is caused to the object, the same thing will happen to the target. It is very useful in execration spells. It needs usage of the target's secret name. Divine magic can be used via sympathetic magic, as the Path of the Gods also require a connection between the god and the magician. Execration Execration is a sinister form of magic that involves destroying a small representation of the target to completely Obliterate the target. It can be used against gods, though it only banishes gods deep into the Duat typically. A form of execration called shadow execration can destroy a god completely but is difficult magic and requires the god's shadow or sheut to work. Shadow Execration This is magic that is a highly kept secret of the gods as it has the potential to destroy them completely. This version of execration is used to finally destroy Apophis where so much else had failed. The spell takes the power of both Kanes and Horus and Isis to work, but they succeed in execrating Apophis' shadow, destroying him. This version of an execration is very similar to the normal version: instead of performing the execration on a shabti or other representation of the target, it is used on a shabti that the sheut of the being is bound to. The hard part is the amount of power needed to cast the spell which can cost the magician their life and locating the target's sheut which if its a god is kept well hidden. Binding Magic This is a common form of magic and is easy to use. With just the command word tas, something can be used to bind someone. It can be used in the form of rope or twine. In one instance, a simple glamour was able to be transformed into a binding. In combat, magicians seem to use this to slow down or capture their enemies. Other Forms of Magic Statuary magic This form of magic is used to create perfect shabtis or transporting armies. Death magic Death Magic is a powerful form of magic and the opposite of necromancy. Death magicians can turn things into dust or rubble upon physical contact or through a beam of grey light and, if used on a living target, sends them to the underworld. Death Magic can also be used to increase one's strength by applying death magic around the target. The power of this magic is grey and can be used with a wand to channel this magic in the form of a grey bolt. Animal Charmer An animal charmer is one of the many paths a magician can choose to follow. As the name suggests, they have the special asset (abilities) to control animals for good or bad. While there are few known charmers, many magicians attempt to follow this path. Initiates that follow the Path of a God occasionally have the ability to charm specific animals. Some animal charming magicians only bond with certain types of animals, for example reptiles or sea creatures, but animal charmers all have the powers to bond with all sorts of animals. However, some following the Path of the Gods as mentioned above may only be able to bond and charm with one or two animals that are unique to a certain god. Gifts that generally come with being an animal charmer include shapeshifting, talking to or controlling animals, they can also change other magicians and objects into animals, summoning animals, etc. Animal Charmers are generally very good at changing their staffs into a variety of animals. Gods are natural animal charmers for their signet animals (ex. Bast and cats, Sekhmet and lions, etc.) Necromancy Necromancy, is a powerful form of magic. It is used to call upon the power of the dead. Necromancers can summon skeletons, ghosts and mummies; all of which are undead. The spirits that they summon can attack people, defend people, answer questions, or even haunt in dreams. These creatures can also heal by sacrificing themselves. If powerful enough, the user can make the corpse tell the future. Necromancy is one of the many paths an initiate can follow. It is opposite to Death Magic, due to the fact that Necromancy raises beings from the dead, while death magic causes death and decay. Abilities *Charmspeak *Amokinesis *Vitakinesis (Healing) *Protection *Binding *Matter Transmogrification *Projective Animal Metamorphing *Shapeshifting *Summoning objects, monsters, and offensive energy *Teleportation *Memory manipulation *Alteration of almost anything *Chronokinesis *Pyrokinesis *Cryokinesis *Electrokinesis *Telekinesis *Atmokinesis *Energy Blasts *Illusion Casting *Hypnokinesis *Biokinesis Category:Magic